News
Published by Observer Media Group
The Conservative Party’s new direction on climate
Under new Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, environment critic and B.C. MP Dan Albas has his work cut out for him. His task: writing a climate plan popular enough to win votes, but ambitious enough to hit Canada’s climate targets.
Wildfire smoke smothering B.C. stark indicator of climate change, researchers say
“You only have to look out the window right now to see the effects of climate change,” Erik Krogh, Vancouver Island University air quality researcher, as smoke from U.S. wildfires smothers southern British Columbia.
Supersize chicken: A good idea?
Stephanie Torrey sometimes designs obstacle courses. Obstacle courses for chickens. The avian games were part of a recent study co-led by Torrey, an assistant professor of animal science at the University of Guelph, that found making chickens grow slower was better for their well-being — but came at a high cost.
The science of light and California's orange skies
Sure, it was wildfire smoke that made parts of California and Oregon change hue. But inside that smoke was alchemy—the chemistry and physics of molecules and wavelengths.
Trudeau asked to enshrine top scientist's position in law
Mona Nemer’s three-year term is coming to a close on Sept. 24, 2020, and the government is staying quiet as to what will happen to her office after her term expires.
Ford sees 'perfect storm' as schools open and COVID-19 cases top 300
Many of Ontario’s growing number of new COVID-19 cases are in the Greater Toronto Area and some have already shown up in schools, while parents and teachers worry about minimally spaced classrooms and buses exacerbating a potential second wave.
Province ponders tying accountability to northern municipal funding
Saskatchewan is considering new requirements for northern municipalities to receive provincial funding, as residents are raising concerns over a lack of financial accountability.
Canada’s rural residents face thousands in medical travel costs and a patchwork subsidy system
Rural residents needing to travel outside their community for healthcare often face steep out-of-pocket costs. The problem is compounded by a provincial assortment of subsidy programs that cause regional disparities and hinder equal access to medical care across the country, say experts.
What's on your plate could make the difference in climate crisis
Food can stop climate change. Sort of. The path of food from farm to fork and beyond is responsible for between 21 and 37 per cent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
B.C. rural residents say travelling for health care can cost thousands
Significant out-of-pocket expenses makes it clear rural residents are facing obstacles getting the medical care they need outside their community, say advocates.
The climate crisis could displace 1.2B people by 2050
Countries unable to withstand ecological threats are among the world’s least peaceful, analysis finds
York University rooming houses ‘more precarious’ during COVID-19
The rooming houses can be “extremely subdivided,” with anywhere between three to 16 rooms in a three-storey, single-family townhouse, said student Nathi Mbuso Zamisa.
Indigenous vice-chief calls on correctional service commissioner to resign
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples Vice-Chief Kim Beaudin is calling for accountability after a panel of experts assigned to look into the use of Structured Intervention Units (SIUs), in Canadian prisons released a scathing report on 19 Aug. detailing how their work was obstructed, undermined and blocked by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).
Feds applaud B.C. Supreme Court decision against private health care
Minister of Health Patty Hajdu said extra patient charges would “undermine equity” in our medical system.